The Madras High Court has ordered the investigation against the fake law firm run by non-lawyers and directed that actions must be taken against persons involved in the advertising legal profession.
The bench of Justice A.D.Jagadish Chandira has directed that a special team headed by an Officer above the rank of Deputy Commissioner of Police in Crime Branch-Crime Investigation Department (CBCID), shall be formed, which shall conduct a preliminary enquiry into the with top priority, of course, strictly adhering to law.
The bench stated that the legal profession is a noble one and must not be treated as a business or trade. Advocates are expected to maintain the highest standards of honesty and fairness towards their clients, he stated while ordering a probe by the CBCID into allegations of malpractice by a law firm and a woman lawyer affiliated with it.
The issue surfaced during the hearing of a civil revision petition filed by Kamalesh Chandrasekaran, who sought interim relief regarding three grounds of land in Mylapore owned by M.A. Noor Jehan Beevi, K.A. Shaik Madar, and Abdul Hassan.
During the proceedings, the court was informed that Preethi Basker had previously represented the title owners of the disputed property in separate litigation, raising serious ethical concerns. Shocked by this revelation, the court took suo motu cognizance and impleaded the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry to assess the credentials and conduct of the lawyers involved.
One Jamal Mohammed Ibrahim, who is not a lawyer by profession, has uploaded posts in “LinkedIn” claiming to be an Entrepreneur showing the name of the Firm as M/s.J.M.I. Law Associates and he had engaged the present petitioner’s counsel and some other Advocates in his firm and published advertisements in Naukri.com and AmbitionBox for recruiting Advocates for his Firm.
Expressing disapproval over JMI Law Associates’ advertising tactics, Justice Chandira noted, “The advertisements make misleading propaganda of routine legal services. Some of the daily orders granted by this court have been cited along with the names of sitting judges, creating a deceptive impression among the public, which is highly condemnable.”
The court directed the CBCID to thoroughly investigate the role of Jamal Mohammed Ibrahim, Preethi Basker, and other associates in the present case, as well as any other cases following a similar pattern.
Case Details
Case Title: Kamalesh Chandrasekaran vs. M.A.Noor Jehan Beevi
Case No.: C.R.P.No.443 of 2025 and C.M.P.No.2649 of 2025
Date: 07.03.2025
Counsel For Petitioner: V.Prakash, Senior Advocate
Counsel For Respondent: S.Ganesan
